Oh boy, now I’m in trouble. This is where I am.
I’ve observed a most interesting occurrence. Whenever I start moving away from church-centric thinking and toward a more Kingdom of God (KoG) mindset I find that I keep “having church” more and more.
Case in point. So I write this post critiquing my understanding of my process around the term “church” (note the “my” qualifiers), that was Monday. On Tuesday we have House Church and I write this post. To which Liz (who is part of said HC) comments:
One word to describe our gathering last night:
“Church”
Perhaps in its truest sense. Or at least I hope so.
Liz Bowater | Homepage
And I reply:
Indeed. My thoughts exactly! In fact, I almost entitled this blog post “Tonight, we had church”.
This has happened before. It seems that as my theology (and hopefully praxis) shifts to a more KoG-centric perspective the Church (and perhaps a particular “church”) keeps forming in the midst.
I often describe my time at Fuller (in Pasadena, CA) as a season in which God reshaped my ecclesiology. I felt (and still feel) that it was a time in which lots of deconstruction of my assumptions about what the church is and does occurred. I found that I was moving away from a traditionalist AND seeker-sensitive mindset at the same time… moving toward and in something more organic, relational, and simple. About 2 years ago (right about when I was leaving Fuller) this whole Kingdom of God thing shows up. By which, of course, I mean it shows up to me… to my reckoning… it was there all along, but I hadn’t really noticed. Ever so slowly has this KoG thingy been trickling into me. Exacerbated by people like this.
It is interesting that in undergrad (at Asbury College) I sensed my faith becoming more personal, more individuated. In seminary I sensed my faith becoming more communal (church as the People of God) and more localized in the context in which I live (neighborhood and oikos). Now I sense that my faith (which is a generic way of saying my fundamental guiding reality) is becoming …. broader, global, more fluid, and more regional (concern for the city). And this seems to be a building thing, my faith does not seem less personal, nor less communal, but it feels like it is taking on a new flavor, a new texture.
It is a good journey, bumpy at times, but the view is great.
